Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of making a dark, uniformly-colored, hardwood mulch for use as a ground cover. Such mulches are used in landscaping for homes, apartment complexes, institutions, schools, and wherever there is a need for beautifying bare ground. Such mulches also minimize the growth of weeds, help maintain the moisture content of the ground, help prevent erosion, and attractively set off the areas of mulch against areas of grass, concrete, parking lots, and the like. Mulches are often made simply of ground-up bark, preferably hardwood bark, and preferably oak bark. While mulches may also be made of pulverized, hardwood chips, such mulches are lighter in color and not as visually attractive as mulches of pure bark. Even pure bark mulches may not be uniformly colored. Yet bark, particularly oak bark, s growing scarce and more expensive as the years go on. Accordingly, there is a need for a method of uniformly darkening an all-bark mulch and of adding a bark substitute in part and eliminating the usual, extensive aging period which may last as long as a year.